Gas-engine



move with sufficient rapidity.

through the center of the gas-supply cylinder,

check-valve which controls the inlet of the ,mode ot' Ioperation which has heretofore been to the resilience of the air compressedby such .vices can .be advantageously used in connecV -NTED 'STATES EDWARD J. FRosr, oF PHILADELPHIA, rENNsYLvANtA.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters IPatent .No. 273,269, dated March 6, 1883.

' Application led July 26, k1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, EDWARD J. FROST, of the city and count-y of Philadelphia, in the State ot' Pennsylvania, haveinvented certain new'and useful Improvements in Gas-Engines, of which the following is a specification of my improvements, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure l is a vertical longitudinal section through the center of the apparatus, or on a lineparalleltothedriving-shaft. Fig.2isatop or plan view thereof'. Fig.3 is avertical section,l in a direction at right angles to that ot' Fig. 1,

showing also'partly in perspective and partly insection one ot' the power-cylinders and its adjacent valve' mechanism.v ".Fig. 4 is a vertical. section, on an enlarged scale, through the power-cylinder.

Itis the primary object of my invention to permit the use of a highly-explosive mixture of gas and air in the cylinder ofthe engine-a attended with difficulty, owing to the suddenness of the explosion and the consequent Waste of power from the inability of the piston to To that end my'invention consists in combining .with what may be called the power-A piston 7 a secondary piston, which acts immediately upon the explosion to compress a quan-l tity of air or other elastic iuid `tightly contained in an adjacent cylinder, the force of the explosion (which takes place between these two pistons) being first exerted directly upon the power-piston, and :beingfollowed by the reactionarypressure of thesecondary piston, due

secondaryfpiston.'

- Various auxiliary features of improvement are employed to facilitate the actionof these main features, and some of such auxiliary detion with enginesofother types. i.

In the draWings,A2 represents the bed-plate'v of theenginmyvhich supports the pillow-blocks B'. A tight're'etang'ul'ar shellor boze-B, in closfesi` the bearings of themai' shaft D, cranksgCfC'j c, and is adapted. tobeilled With"oil,sothat these Working-parts may. be constantly lubri-` cated.

Upon thebox B are mounted, preferably on either side of the center-line, the power-cylinders G G', formed with jackets J J', respectively, to permit the exterior cooling of the cylinders by Water in the usual Way, and provided with ears or iangesN N N, which afford a convenient means ot' bolting the pair together.

`The cylinders G G' contain, respectively, pisvtons F F'- of the usual form, which communicate by meanszofrods E E', respectively, with the cranksG C'. The cylinder G has an entrance-port, A, and exhaust-ports h h, the latter communicating with the `e'xhaust-passafgfs H H, cast in the cylinder-shells. In the cylinder G' the entrance-port is indicatedbyvA' and the exha'ustpassage by H', the exhaust-ports being covered by the piston in the position there shown. Above the extreme upward stroke of the pistonsthe cylinders are slightly enlarged, as shown, .forming air-spaces M M'.

The secondary pistons K K' respectively Work Adjacent to thatportion of the cylinders to which the charge is admitted are smallpassages .t y#respectively leading to ignitingchambers T T', and within these igniting-chambers -are vplatinum Wires communicating throughwires ww with electrical apparatus, by means Vof which said platinum Wires may be maintainedat aV heat sufficient to ignite.

the gas in lthe chambers TT'. I contemplate the use ot' a small fdynamo -electric machine Irun by the exigirle itseltl for the production of the necessary electrical current; but obviously other sources of electricitylor other igniting devices of well-known forms may be used.

,upon-:the :box B, and vcontains the pumpingpiston'f.a-At each Y. end of the cylinder g are :gas-iinletsg-jj'- and fair-inlets; i i', respectively Theformer are controlledI by cut-olil valves, Whicnare Worked :by-anyrsuitable governing Vfdevice, ands-cut off, theinflowrof gs very conasiderably'beforethe completion of the stroke of the piston f. The air-inlets M' are provided f Thegas-supply:cylinder gis also mounted with check-valves y yf, held on their seats by be the first portion of the charge to enter the power-cylinder on the return-stroke of the piston. An outlet, a., in the upper portion of the cylinder g leads by pipe R to the inlet A of the cylinder G, and a corresponding ontlet, a', in thelower part of the cylinder g leads by a similar pipe, S, to the inlet A of the cylinder G.

To prevent the back passage of the ame into the pipes R and S, I employ at each of the inlets A and A check-valves s, which, with their spindles P, stuffing-boxes O, and pressure-springs, P' are mounted upon the sides of the power-cylinders G G by means of bushings Q.

The rod e of the displacement-piston passes through a stuffing-box, U2, to a cross-head, U, and a box, V, upon the crank c plays freely in a slot, W, in the cross-head, so as to cause the vertical reciprocation of the cross-head in the guides Z Z. The crank c is arranged so as to be somewhat in advance of the crank C, preferably by about one-eighth of a revolution.

The operation of my improved engine is as follows: 'lhe fly-wheel is Iirst started by any secondary motive power and turned until the parts assume the positions shown in Fig. 1, when the upward movement of the piston f forces the charge of gas and air (previously mixed in any desired proportions) into the cylinder G. As soon as the piston f coinpletes its upstroke the valve s is closed by the spring P', and as the piston F rises the charge is compressed in the upper portion of the cylinder Gand between the pistons F and K. As the npstroke of the piston F is completed the compression ot' the gas is sufficient to raise the piston K somewhat, thus uncovering the passage t and establishing a communication with the igniting-chamber T. The gas ignites and explodes the charge in the cylinder G, giving a direct impact upon the piston F, and also upon the secondary piston K. The former is driven downward and the latter upward until the force of the explosion is balanced by the compression of the air in the chamber M, when the piston K rebounds downward, driving the expanded products ot combustion and the piston F before it until the exhaust-ports h h are uncovered, when the spentchargepassesout. Meanwhilethe crank c has revolved and drawn in a second charge of gas and air at the other or lower end ofthe cylinder g, which charge, by asimilar sequence of operations, is driven into the other powercylinder, G', there to be similarly compressed, exploded, and discharged, and as the crank c is set aheadof the crank C the position ofthe charge which has been last indrawn, and

which consists of air, is drawn irs't into the upper portion of the cylinders G G, while the exhaust-ports are still open, so as to drive before it the spent charge and wash out the cylinder.

A pressure-gage, X, may be connected with the compressing-chambers M M', so as to iudicate the pressure yielded by the explosion. As hasl been before stated, the employment of these air-chamberspermits the use of a highly-explosive mixture without loss of any eicient power, and they not only require no washing outafter the explosion, being closed against the entrance of the products of combustion, but aid in cleansing out the cylinder itself on their downward stroke. Furthermore, the construction of the working parts, when arranged as above set forth, also adapts the engine specially for use under severe strain, and the arrangement of the cylinders out ot' line with and on opposite sides of the driving-shaft avoids the dead-points. As tne most highly explosive mixtures of gas and air contain a very small percentage of the former, the economy due to their use is obvious.

Having thus described the nature and objects of my invention, what I claim herein as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s-

1. In` a gas-engine, the combination, with the cylinder and its dri\f'ingpiston, of th'e compression-chamber and secondary piston, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. The combination of acylinder having entrance and exhaust ports at its opposite ends, a driving-piston whose downstroke uncovers the exhaust-port, and a com pression-chamber adjacent to the cylinder, and provided with a secondary piston, whose downstroke. terminates immediately above the entrance-port, whereby the charge is permitted to expand on both sides of the entrance-port, but after expansion is driven below the said eXtrance-port bythe return of the secondary piston, and is finally expelled by the enteringr charge.

3. In a gasengine, the combination, with the cylinderfof a power-piston, a secondary piston, and igniting-chamber, said ignitingchamber being alternately covered and uncovered by the movement of said secondary piston, substantially as set forth.

4. In a gas-engine, the combination, with the lubricating-box B, of the driving-shaft D and cranks G C c, working therein, the powercylinders G G', and gas-supply cylinder g, mounted upon said box and above the driving-shaft, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination of the compressionchamber M with the secondary piston and 1ts hydraulic packing, substantially' as and for the'purposes set forth.

EDWARD J. raosfr.

Witnesses:

J'. WALTER DoUGLAss, CHARLES F. ZIEGLER.

I'I o 

